Partial derivatives Definition and 435 Threads

  1. I

    Partial Derivatives: Help & Thanks!

    please help about this if f(u,v)=f(y/x,z/x)=0 and z=g(x,y) and show thanks alot
  2. P

    Second Order Partial Derivatives + Chain Rule

    Homework Statement Let z = z (x,y) be a function with x = x(s), y = y(t) satisfying the partial differential equation (Ill write ddz/ddt for the partial derivative of z wrt t and dz/dt for the total derivative of z wrt t, as I have no idea how to use Latex.) ddz/ddt +...
  3. M

    Partial derivatives and change of variables

    Homework Statement Sorry I tried to use Latex but it didn't work out :/ Make the change of variables r = x + vt and s = x vt in the wave equation partial^2y/partialx^2-(1/v^2)(partial^2y/partialt^2)=0 Homework Equations...
  4. Rasalhague

    Domain of f(x,g(g)), and partial derivatives

    Domain of f(x,g(x)), and partial derivatives Watching http://www.khanacademy.org/video/exact-equations-intuition-1--proofy?playlist=Differential%20Equations Khan Academy video on exact equations, I got to wondering: if x is a real number, what is the domain of a function defined by f(x,g(x))...
  5. T

    Partial derivatives, equation help

    Homework Statement Heat is being conducted radially through a cylindrical pipe. The temperature at a radius r is T(r). In Cartesian co-ordinates, r = \sqrt{(x^{2}+ y^{2}}) show that \frac{\partial T}{\partial x} = \frac{x}{r} \frac{dT}{dr}
  6. C

    Partial derivatives with dependent variables (fixed) question.

    In statistical mechanics we express partial derivatives of functions, keeping some variables fixed. But these variables are functions of the other variables (which are not fixed). I'm just confused by this, what is the convention for taking these derivatives? For example, if we have S as a...
  7. J

    How to take the Partial Derivatives of a Function that is Defined Implicitly?

    How does one take the partial derivatives of a function that is defined implicitly? For example, the function, x^2 / 4 + y^2 + z^2 = 3.
  8. L

    Using Partial Derivatives To Prove Solution To Wave Equation

    I need to use partial derivatives to prove that u(x,t)=f(x+at)+g(x-at) is a solution to: u_{tt}=a^{2}u_{xx} I'm stuck on how I'm supposed to approach the problem. I'm lost as to what order I should do the derivations in. I tried making a tree diagram, and I came out like this. The arrow...
  9. V

    Application of partial derivatives

    sorry folks i don't even have an idea to this question`s solution so i hope u people may like to help me. i`m stuck to it since last week nd i hope its from partial derivative... please suggest me a book or a hint or the solution. Let a long circular cylinder of unit radius be placed in a large...
  10. R

    Manipulate partial derivatives to obtain desired physical expression

    Homework Statement Show that the expression A, T(dP/dT)|V - P is equal to expression B, T^2 * [d(P/T)/dT]|V Also, show that expression C, -[d(P/T)/d(1/T)]|V is also equal to expression B Homework Equations A: temperature * (dPresure/dTemperature at constant volume) -...
  11. L

    Partial derivatives boundery point problems

    Homework Statement find the largest distance and shortest distance from the origin to the conic whose equation is 6x2 + 4xy +3y2 - 28=0 and hence determine the lengths of the semi axes of this conic Homework Equations Lagrange identity F= f + λφ = 0 distance = d2 =x2+ y2+...
  12. V

    Partial Derivatives Maximum and Minimum Values

    Homework Statement Find the absolute maximum and minimum values of f on the set D. f(x,y) = 1+4x-5y D is the closed triangular region with vertices (0,0) (2,0) (0,3) Homework Equations To find the absolute maximum and minimum values of a continuous function on a closed, bounded set : 1. Find...
  13. V

    I have a few questions about partial derivatives and potential functions.

    Homework Statement I have no homework problem to ask, but rather a general question. Ill give and example of a potential function V = 3x^2 + 2y^2 i know to find Fx i have to differentiate 3x^2 with respect to x and 2y^2 with respect to y. But i have seen cases where someone takes the...
  14. S

    Continuity of partial derivatives

    What exactly does it mean for a function to have continuous partial derivatives? How do we see this?
  15. L

    Partial Derivatives of ln(x+y)/(xy)

    I need help with this one: Find fxy in: ln(x+y)/(xy) .. the ln applies to the whole problem.
  16. B

    Directional Derivatives vs. Partial Derivatives

    I have a question about these two. I have a direction derivative at a in the direction of u defined as: f'(a;u) = lim [t -> 0] (1/t)[f(a + tu) - f(a)] And the partial derivative to be defined as the directional derivative in the direction of u = e_i. My text, Analysis on Manifolds by...
  17. 3

    Absolute and Relatiave Uncertainty (partial derivatives)

    Homework Statement Calculate the following, expressing all results with uncertainties both in absolute and relative (percentage) form: a) A + B b) A x B c) Asin(theta) d) A^2 / Bcos(theta) The relevant formula for the absolute uncertainty is below, but i have no idea how to...
  18. T

    Derivatives and Partial Derivatives

    ey guys Generally i just do these without thinking, however i was checking some work today with a friend and he is adament i did my derivative wrong... If i can double check with you Well firstly 'c' is simply a constant q1 and q2 are generalised coordinates IZG1 is simply the...
  19. P

    Is u(t) a unit vector of f(x,y)?

    Homework Statement f(x,y)=2Sin x Cos y g(x,y) = 2Cos x Sin y verify that d(fg)/dx = g(x,y) df/dx + f(x,y) dg/dx The Attempt at a Solution first of all I worked out the partials derivatives in respective to x and y, for both functions df/dx = 2Cos x (but I've a gut feeling that it...
  20. A

    Partial Derivatives of Discontinuous Fcn?

    f(x,y)= xy2/(x2+y2) if (x,y)\neq(0,0) =0 if (x,y)=(0,0) Show that the partial derivatives of x and y exist at (0,0). This may be a really stupid question, but would the partial derivatives of x and y at (0,0) just be 0? I tried taking that partial derivatives of xy2/(x2+y2) and...
  21. A

    Partial derivatives (Maxwell relations) in thermodynamics

    My professor did this in lecture, and I can't figure out his logic. Can someone fill in the gaps? He went from: dS = \left( \frac{\partial S}{\partial P} \right)_T dP + \left( \frac{\partial S}{\partial T} \right)_P dT (which I totally understand; it just follows from the fact that...
  22. N

    Partial derivatives of contour maps/level curves

    Homework Statement Basically I have two problems that are asking for the partial derivative with respect to x and y at a certain point on a level curve graph, and a contour map. How do you go about doing these? There is no function given, so I don't really know what they expect you to do...
  23. Telemachus

    Partial derivatives for the sign function

    Homework Statement Hi there. Well, I've got some doubts on the partial derivatives for the next function: f(x,y)=sg\{(y-x^2)(y-2x^2)\} Where sg is the sign function. So, what I got is: f(x,y)=f(x)=\begin{Bmatrix}{ 1}&\mbox{ if }& (y-x^2)(y-2x^2)>0\\0 & \mbox{if}& (y-x^2)(y-2x^2)=0\\-1 &...
  24. Telemachus

    Solving Partial Derivatives: Is This Right?

    Homework Statement Hi there. Well, I got the next function, and I'm trying to work with it. I wanted to know if this is right, I think it isn't, so I wanted your opinion on this which is always helpful. f(x,y)=\begin{Bmatrix} (x+y)^2\sin(\displaystyle\frac{\pi}{x+y}) & \mbox{ si }&...
  25. S

    Laplacian, partial derivatives

    Homework Statement Find the Laplacian of F = sin(k_x x)sin(k_y y)sin(k_z z) Homework Equations \nabla^2 f = \left( \frac{\partial}{\partial x} +\frac{\partial}{\partial y} + \frac{\partial}{\partial z} \right) \cdot \left( \frac{\partial}{\partial x} + \frac{\partial}{\partial y} +...
  26. B

    Partial Derivatives for Functions f(z) of a Complex Variable.

    Hi, Everyone: I was never clear n this point: given that z is a single complex variable, how/why does it make sense to talk about z having partial derivatives.? I mean, if we are given, say, f(x,y); R<sup>2</sup> -->R<sup>n</sup> then it makes sense to talk about...
  27. S

    Symmetry of higher order partial derivatives

    Hi, As per Clariut's theorem, if the derivatives of a function up to the high order are continuous at (a,b), then we can apply mixed derivatives. I am looking at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetry_of_second_derivatives and I cannot understand in the example for non-symmetry, why the...
  28. P

    Relating 2nd order partial derivatives in a coordinate transformation.

    Homework Statement Could some mathematically minded person please check my calculation as I am a bit suspicious of it (I'm a physicist myself). This isn't homework so feel free to reveal anything you have in mind. Suppose I have two functions \phi(t) and \chi(t) and the potential V which...
  29. M

    Higher order partial derivatives

    Consider the partial di erential equation, (y4-x2)uxx - 2xyuxy - y2uyy = 1. We will make the substitution x = s2 - t2 and y = s - t, to simplify (a) Solve for s and t as functions of x and y the farthest point i got to was x = s^2 - t^2 = (s+t)(s-t) = y(s+t) y = s - t s+t = x/y i...
  30. S

    Partial Derivatives - Finding tangent in a volume?

    Not sure I understand exactly what this question is asking. This is obviously a volume in R3 and so how do you get a tangent inside a volume? Or is it just along the plane y = 2 intersecting the volume? Also, what is a parametric equation...? Thanks for the help: Question: The ellipsoid 4x^2...
  31. Battlemage!

    Can Quotient Rule Be Applied to Partial Derivatives?

    My question revolves around the following derivative: for z(x,y) *sorry I can't seem to get the latex right. ∂/∂x (∂z/∂y) What I thought about doing was using the quotient rule to see what I would get (as if these were regular differentials). So, I "factored out" the 1/∂x, then did...
  32. C

    Partial derivatives and chain rule

    Homework Statement express (\frac{\partial u}{\partial s})_{v} in terms of partial derivatives of u(s,t) and t(s,v) Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I'm pretty stuck with this problem. I know that dv = (\frac{\partial v}{\partial s})_{t} ds + (\frac{\partial...
  33. L

    Interchanging partial derivatives and integrals

    In the midst of https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=403002", I came upon a rather interesting, though probably elementary, question. Analagous to the fundamental theorem of calculus, is there a formula or theorem concerning the expression \frac{\partial}{\partial...
  34. D

    Derivatives / partial derivatives rule

    When I am taking a partial derivative of an equation with respect to theta_dot, then theta is constant, right? What if I am taking partial derivative with respect to theta, will theta_dot be constant? In this case, theta_dot = omega (angular velocity), but I must keep equation in terms of...
  35. V

    Just a quick question about partial derivatives

    Not a homework question, but It will help me none the less, In my book it says \frac{d}{dt} \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} |\Psi(x,t)|^2 dx is equivalent to \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \frac{\partial}{\partial t}|\Psi(x,t)|^2 dx I understand how It becomes a partial derivative, since I'm...
  36. R

    Partial derivatives as basis vectors?

    Hi, I'm having trouble understanding how people can make calculations using the partial derivatives as basis vectors on a manifold. Are you allowed to specify a scalar field on which they can operate? eg. in GR, can you define f(x,y,z,t) = x + y + z + t, in order to recover the Cartesian...
  37. L

    Partial Derivatives: Show bz(x)=az(y)

    Homework Statement Suppose that z=f(ax+by), where a and b are constants. Show that bz(x) = az(y). z(x) means partial derivative of z with respect to x, as for z(y). Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Say z=ax+by z(x) = a z(y) = b So bz(x) = ba = ab = az(y)...
  38. S

    Partial Derivatives: Proving & Evaluating at (0,0)

    Do I need to use Schwarz's or Young's theorems to prove it, if don't then do I need to evaluate them on (0,0) using definition.
  39. C

    Proving Thermodynamics equations using partial derivatives

    Homework Statement Prove (∂V/∂T)_s/(∂V/∂T)_p = 1/1-(gamma) (gamma = Cp/Cv) Homework Equations (∂V/∂T)_s = -C_v (kappa)/(beta)T (where beta = 1/V(∂V/∂T)_p, kappa = -1/V(∂V/∂P)_T C_v= - T(∂P/∂T)_v(∂V/∂T)_s The Attempt at a Solution As part(a) ask me to find C_v, I do it similar for...
  40. N

    Chain rule and partial derivatives

    Homework Statement Suppose the differentiable function f(x,y,z) has the partial derivatives fx(1,0,1) = 4, fy(1,0,1) = 1 and fz(1,0,1) = 0. Find g'(0) if g(t) = f(t2 + 1, t2-t, t+1).Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Ok I'm given the solution for this and I'm trying to work through it...
  41. R

    Multi Calculus- Partial Derivatives

    Homework Statement I am translating the question from another language so it might not be word to word with the original question. assume x(s,t) and y(s,t) determined by these two functions: sin(xt) +x+s=1 eyt+y(s+1)=1 The following function is defined H(x,y)=x2+y2-xy such that...
  42. H

    Chain rule for partial derivatives

    If I have u = u(x,y) and let (r, t) be polar coordinates, then expressing u_x and u_y in terms of u_r and u_t could be done with a system of linear equations in u_x and u_y? I get: u_r = u_x * x_r + u_y * y_r u_t = u_x * x_t + u_y * y_t is this the right direction? Because by...
  43. V

    Product Rule with Partial Derivatives

    Hi, so I'm trying to solve Laplace's equation by separation of variables, and there's a basic step I'm not understanding with regards to the product rule. Given A product rule (i think) is taken to make the first term easier to deal with and we get I'm just having trouble...
  44. C

    Partial derivatives of composition

    Homework Statement Find the partial derivatives with respect to u,v of \bar{U}(\bar{x}(u,v)), where \bar{U} is the unit normal to a surface given by the parametrization \bar{x}(u,v). (This, of course, is part of a larger problem, but I just am looking for advice with the calculus.)...
  45. R

    Proof Involving Partial Derivatives Chain Rule

    Homework Statement z=f(x,y) x=escos(t) y=essin(t) show d2z/dx2+d2z/dy2 = e-2s[d2z/ds2+ d2/dt2 Homework Equations dz/dt=dz/dz(dx/dt)+(dz/dy)dy/dr The product rule The Attempt at a Solution I found d2x/dt2=2e2ssin(t)cos(t)d2z/dydx + e2scos2(t)dz/dy2 But, now I'm...
  46. B

    Converting partial derivatives between coordinate frames

    Homework Statement Given Cartesian coordinates x, y, and polar coordinates r, phi, such that r=\sqrt{x^2+y^2}, \phi = atan(x/y) or x=r sin(\phi), y=r cos(\phi) (yes, phi is defined differently then you're used to) I need to find \frac{d\phi}{dr} in terms of \frac{dy}{dx} Homework...
  47. L

    Partial Derivatives: Why Closed Domains Don't Work

    Homework Statement A mapping f from an open subset S of Rn into Rm is called smooth if it has continuous partial derivatives of all orders. However, when the domain S is not open one cannot usually speak of partial derivatives. Why? Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution In the 1...
  48. mnb96

    Very basic partial derivatives problem

    Hello, I should feel ashamed to ask this, but it's giving me (and others) some troubles. given f(x_1,\ldots,x_n), is it wrong to say that: \frac{\partial f}{\partial f}=1 ...?
  49. M

    Continuity of partial derivatives in a ball implies differentiability

    Hi all, I'm looking at the following problem: Suppose that f:\mathbb{R}^2\to\mathbb{R} is such that \frac{\partial{f}}{\partial{x}} is continuous in some open ball around (a,b) and \frac{\partial{f}}{\partial{y}} exists at (a,b): show f is differentiable at (a,b). Now I know that if both...
  50. P

    Lagrange multipliers and partial derivatives

    Homework Statement Find the point on 2x + 3y + z - 11 = 0 for which 4x^2 +y^2 +z^2 is a minimum Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Using lagrange multipliers I find: F = 4x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + l(2x + 3y + z) Finding the partial derivatives I get the three equations...
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